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Between 1861 and 1865, Americans made war on each other and killed each other in great numbers if only to become the kind of country that could no longer conceive of how that was possible. What began as a bitter dispute over Union and States' Rights, ended as a struggle over the meaning of freedom in America.

Ken Burns, Ric Burns, Buddy Squires, and Allen Moore discuss the making of The Civil War.
Richmond falls to Grant's army, Lee surrenders, Lincoln is assassinated, and the war ends.
While causalities mount, Lincoln’s re-election chances dim.
Production made possible by grants from General Motors Corporation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation
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Richmond falls to Grant's army, Lee surrenders, Lincoln is assassinated, and the war ends.
While causalities mount, Lincoln’s re-election chances dim.
Follow the Battle of Gettysburg, draft riots, and the first African-American troops.
Lincoln’s war to preserve the Union transforms to a war to emancipate the slaves.
Find out what caused the war, examining slavery and questions of union and states’ rights.
Extras
Learn how The Civil War series has been completely restored to Ultra HD – 4K resolution.
Ken Burns shares how his interest in the Civil War developed.
Ken Burns shares how his team reacted to the idea of an eleven-hour-long documentary.
Ken Burns talks about how he, Geoff, and Ric created The Civil War film.
Ken Burns recalls when he first realized the magnitude of his film, The Civil War.
Ken Burns shares the moment he and his team captured Lincoln’s death in the film.
Ken Burns talks about the benefits of restoring The Civil War series in 4K.
Ken Burns shares whether he prefers shooting on film or digitally.
Ken Burns shares his thoughts on the continued success of his film, The Civil War.
Ken Burns shares how his passion for photography influenced the creation of The Civil War.
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